Focus groups:
using participant discussion for data collection
- a form of qualitative interviewing – uses a reseacher-led group discussion to generate data.
- Flexible in terms of it can be quite a structured format when the researcher takes an active role in the discussion OR can be more exploratory, allowing the participants to discuss the topic as they see fit
- by bringing people together, focus groups create the opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful conversation about a topic that researchers wish to understand.
- Learning about participants’ perspectives by listening to their conversation
- a good tool/ medium for hearing from groups whose voices are often marginalised within the larger society.
Focus groups and individual interviews:
- very similar in collecting qualitative data
- potentially gives the researcher a large role in navigating the conversation
- most obvious difference: the total number of participants in the project and the amount of data provided by each participant
- Focus group would provide access to a great number of participants – more useful when the goal is to hear from a range of perspectives
- interviews would provide more detail – more useful when the goal is to gain depth and detail about each individual
- The two methods often work well in combination: using focus groups to gain an introduction to the views and then following up with in-depth interviews with selected participants
- You can also use both methods, one after the other, to help you cross-check the conclusions you came to – see if they are consistent.
- With focus groups, need to be aware that the change in a social context, i.e group to individual interviews, can potentially lead to different responses
- Some argue that individual interviews produce better data as you are not influenced by the presence of other participants however one-to-one interviews mean the researcher could have a large influence.
Design and analysis of focus groups
- the group composition is important and should take into account the needs of the researcher and the interest of the participants
- give sufficient attention to participants’ point of view – they should feel comfortable talking to each other about the research topic
- selecting particicpants who share similar perspectives rather than similar demographic characteristic
Interview questions:
- the content of the question has to meet the needs of the researchers and the participants
- write questions that would get the participants involved in active discussion about the topic
- to help get the particicpants more engaged in the beginning, the first few questions shoudl be orientated towards their interest = lead to active discussion = closer to the research topic
How to create effective focus group questions
Three main types of questions:
Engagement questions:
- helps establish topic of discussion
- makes them comfortable with the other particicpants
- these are asked in the begining of the session
- “What’s your favorite brand of cereal?”
Exploration questions:
- once tone and subject is established, these questions get the information you’re trying to acquire from the focus group
- this will make up the bulk of the questions
- “What’s more important in a breakfast cereal: taste or health?”
Exit questions:
- to ensure you haven’t missed anything or something the focus group want to share about the subject
- “Is there anything else you’d like to say about XYZ?”
- “Is there anything else we should know about how you choose XYZ?”
- Notes about questions:
- Be clear about the project goals and keep them in mind when planning the questions
- keep it no more that 8 – 12 questions – avoid asking unnecessary questions
- look for unclear phrasing (avoid vague wording), leading questions or that could lead to tangent discussions
- use open ended language like “how did you feel?” or “what problems did you see?”
- start of more general to allow them to ease into the topic before being more specific.
Style of moderating:
- a more directive or less directive approach?
- more structured or less structured?
- More structured:
- directive role, making sure the conversation stays focused on the research topic
- ideal when you want to hear as much as possible about a reseach agenda
- Less structured:
- allows participants to follow their own path
- moderator facilitates ratehr than directs the conversation
- emphasises exploration and discovery
Analysis of the data:
- pay special attention to the topic that consistently generates high levels of interest from evert participant
- begin with asking the participants to focus on the research topic ends with the researches focussing on the topic that were most important to the particicpant
Bibliography
Jefferson Online (2018) How to create effective focus group questions, Jefferson Online. Available at: https://online.jefferson.edu/business/create-effective-focus-group-questions/ (Accessed: December 4, 2022).
GIVEN, L.I.S.A.M. (2008) “The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods.” SAGE Publications.